Southern California homeowners who looked on in horror as October fires ravaged Northern California wine country now face the similarly grim task of recovering from homes burned, lives shattered and landscapes scarred from wind-whipped fires.

For those who escaped the recent carnage or were minimally affected by the devastating Santa Ana winds, the lesson is clear — plant now with an eye toward safeguarding your home. Firescaping is a form of landscaping design and routine maintenance. The goal is to do what you can to keep your property healthy, clean and clear of potential fire risks.

Inspect your yard and check for potential hot spots. Remove dead trees and branches. Prune back overgrown foliage. And if you’re still planting this season, keep in mind a defensible perimeter around your home. Be proactive in reducing fire potential. “California’s rate of compliance with state fire code is around 10 percent, which is absolutely horrible,’’ said Douglas Kent, horticultural expert and author of several books including, “Firescaping,’’ ($18.95,Wilderness Press). “Interest in wildfire protection spikes after a fire and then slowly drops off. We are terrible at acting on long-term and ever-present risk. It is the same reason why pre-diabetic people continue to eat poorly, or people talk and text on their phones when driving. And the other reasons for low rates of compliance are clearing a landscape of flammable fuels can be economically and emotionally expensive—who wants to pay $4,000 an acre to remove bird habitat?”

Deer statues are nearly all that is left as the morning sun’s rays shine through the lingering smoke at the home destroyed by the Canyon Fire at 1955 Windes Drive in Orange in October leaving everything, including the landscape, scorched. (File photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The devastating Canyon Fire 2 that scorched more than 9,000 acres and destroyed 25 structures in October was started when high winds pushed smoldering embers from a clump of oak ignited by the previous Canyon Fire in the same area. ,(File photo by Will Lester-Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

The facts are hard to ignore, though, he said, since almost one in four Californians lives in fire country. Residents should be alert year round.

“When it comes to historically large and damaging fires there’s no difference between Northern California and Southern California. The whole state is flammable. Southern California has had, and will continue to have, incredibly destructive wildfires,’’ said Kent, a principal in Douglas Kent and Associates in the city of Orange.

An important lesson to learn is the need to make better distinctions concerning landscape types. “We need to identify the wild areas where wildfires can be beneficial, and the areas around our homes, businesses and communities where fire is a threat to public, economic and ecological health. Maintenance practices vary greatly between these two types of landscapes.”

And it’s not just structural fire damage. Scorched landscapes can remain scarred for some time and are prime candidates for mudslides and erosion. Whether Southern California has an unpredictably wet El Nino or a relatively dry La Nina (as many weather experts predict), any precipitation can be a big problem. “Rain is a huge concern for people managing fire-scarred landscapes. Topsoil loss leaps by as much as 200 percent after a fire. Rain and wind have greater leverage when the protective cover of plants is gone. Naturally, fire-scarred areas are prone to debris flows. These can overwhelm small communities and lead to injury and death,’’ said Kent.

“The first rains of the season will put fire-scarred landscapes at risk of erosion, which can cause topsoil loss, debris flows and other damages to property,’’ said Marianne Hugo, garden director of Orange County Coastkeeper.

The nonprofit recently hosted a workshop to discuss ways to bring those damaged properties back to life and to reduce the threats. “Everything burns. There is no such thing as a fireproof plant. There are some that are resistant. The real key to create a fireproof zone is providing that 100-foot buffer. Most of Southern California is in a fire zone area, so choose the right plants and the right places to plant them.”

Still, years of drought-battered vegetation will burn and burn quickly.

Rick Wilson is the chief technology officer for Agromin, an Oxnard-based manufacturer of earth-friendly compost products produced from organic materials. His job is to help bring distressed landscapes back to life. Landscapes scorched by fire (on edges, etc.) essentially have burnt charred residue left in the soil. That actually isn’t a bad thing since it can form a foundation for a future productive landscape. Envision forest fires. “In those everything can die for years but eventually it will sprout back to life,’’ he said. A component is biochar or remnants of native vegetative fires. Biochar and its supplements can enhance and help soil retain nutrients. The bad news is that it must sit there for a long time and in the beginning it is difficult to grow things.

If the house burns down, however, there can be toxic things that have melted and oozed into the soil. A soil analysis may be needed.

“Every garden is unique, the sun and soil make some things easy and others almost impossible. Then there is one’s budget of time and money,’’ said Mark Rice, a Los Angeles County master gardener. But as a quick fix I’d look at a soil building and cover crop seed bundle. I’m fond of Peaceful Valley’s Good Bug Bed. Most cover crop mixes include things like daikon (the Japanese radish) because it will send a root down two feet and this will help cycle nutrients in the soil. It will also stabilize some situations. And I’d cast this seed all over my property before a big rain. Maybe rough up the soil first.”

Rice, too, said a soil analysis isn’t a bad idea especially if structures burned that might have contained lead paint. “You can get inexpensive tests and instructions from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. I suspect the best answer is to do things for the short term and long term, and to really get into one’s situation.”

Try to prevent erosion and the washing away of topsoil. Spread mulch over the impacted burned area, but not too deep since it can hold water and set up a situation ripe for termites. Don’t mulch directly next to your home. Remove all conifer trees if they are damaged. “They don’t recover from fires and invite insects,’’ Wilson said. “If you still want them, replant now.” Then, seed with a thin covering.

Hardwood trees, those that don’t produce a cone such as a walnut tree, are a better choice than conifers. Be particularly mindful of yards with slopes since erosion can start there and then impact flat areas, according to Wilson who lives in San Diego in an area rich with sloping backyards.

What’s a homeowner to do? Provide a buffer, ideally of 100 feet surrounding the house. Cal Fire offers an online homeowner checklist with designs on how to create one, visit www.readyforwildfire.org, while the University of California Cooperative Extension Service publishes detailed information on fire safe landscaping on its website: http://ucanr.edu/sites/SAFELandscapes.

Here’s a firescaping refresher course.

1. Remove dead plants, grass and weeds around the house: Avoid plants with a high oil/wax/pitch content such as acacia, bamboo, cypress, fountain grass, juniper, pines, rosemary and spruce.

Suzanne Sproul is a lucky wife and proud mom of two great daughters. She’s a transplanted Snow Bird from Chicago who prefers warm climates, particularly central Florida and its beautiful Gulf Coast and Southern California, where she’s lived most of her life. The University of Florida J-school graduate has been a city reporter and features editor, but has spent the past 27 fun years covering stories she loves -- features about SoCal’s diverse and trendy homes+gardens and eclectic arts/entertainment along with her weekly column about the good people of the Inland Empire. When she’s not filing stories, you can find her gardening at home, biking with her husband, jumping around in Zumba class, organizing family adventures – digging for hanksite clusters at the Gem-o-Rama in Trona, anyone? – or rooting for favored sports teams. I’m looking at you USC Trojans, University of California Davis Aggies, University of Florida Gators and those loveable Chicago Cubs, World Champions 2016. Life really is good!